Heho: After eating breakfast at the hotel, we again headed for the airport for our short, thirty minute flight from Mandalay to Heho. Heho, meaning flat area, is named because it is the only large expanse of flat ground in this mountainous region of the country, making it ideal as the main rice growing area and perfect for an airport. From Heho, we rode along the winding road until we arrived at Nyaung Shwe.
Nyaung Shwe: Driving through town we encountered some flooded, but still passable, roads due to recent rains. We arrived at the dock and, getting our luggage and ourselves situated in the boat, we motored along the canal leading to Inle Lake. Upon reaching the lake, we came upon some traditional Intha fishermen, one utilizing the unique leg-rowing technique they have become known for to move his boat to a better fishing spot. Looking for telltale bubbles rising from below, the fishermen use nets attached to bamboo cages to trap their prey. This is considered to be a rather difficult method of fishing. Continuing on, we arrived at our hotel to check in.
Myanmar Treasure Resort Hotel: Getting close to the hotel, we had to cut our engine and pick up a rower to paddle us the rest of the way to the hotel. This is done as policy so the guests are not disturbed by the loud sounds from the boat engine. The hotel sits on stilts in the lake, completely surrounded by water. We checked into our room, which could better be described as a cabin with a huge bedroom and very large bathroom to match. We got one in front, overlooking Inle Lake. After dropping off our luggage, we immediately headed back to the hotel's dock to re-board our boat and start sightseeing.
Inle Lake: Measuring 22km (13.7mi) long and 11km (6.8mi) wide, Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar. The depth of the lake ranges from 2.1 to 3.7 meters (7-12ft) in the dry season and from 3.6 to 5.2 meters (12-17ft) in the rainy season. Continuing south trough the lake, we passed seaweed harvesters, who sell the seaweed to be used as fertilizer for the crop fields surrounding the lake. We also passed more fishermen, this time using a different technique. They were slapping the water with their oars to stun the fish so they could more easily be caught. A short time later, we arrived at the floating gardens.
Floating Gardens: The floating gardens are made up of artificial floating islands, held in place with long bamboo poles anchored in the lake bed, upon which many types of crops are grown. The most famous of these crops is tomatoes, which are sold all across the country. Sitting low in the boat and traveling up a central channel lined with berms on both sides to protect the crop fields, it was difficult to see the floating gardens themselves. Just prior to exiting the channel, we came upon some farmers moving their floating islands and, trying to pass by them, we became stuck. The pilot tried several times to work us free, but was still struggling when I decided to help by grabbing a long bamboo pole we had onboard and pushing the offending islands away as the pilot worked the motor. A minute later we were free and back in open water, where we had to wait as the pilot cleared the seaweed that had become entangled with the propeller.
Inpawkhone Village: Continuing on, we arrived in Inpawkhone Village. The village is located in the middle of the lake, with buildings constructed on stilts. Motoring through the village, we saw many different types of houses, shops, restaurants, temples, and even a school.
Myat Pwint Chel Silk and Lotus Weaving: We stopped at Myat Pwint Chel Silk and Lotus Weaving, where we learned about lotus weaving. The threads are taken from the stalks of lotus plants. Even small products require tens of thousands of stalks processed over several months, with larger pieces taking over a year just to collect enough thread for weaving. After the threads are collected, they are then dyed and woven on looms, just like silk textiles. Products can also be made using a combination of silk and lotus threads.
Golden Kite Restaurant: It was just past noon so we decided to stop for lunch at the Golden Kite Restaurant. Having eaten many traditional Myanmar curry meals on our trip, we asked the waitress for her recommendation and decided to go with it. So, we ended up eating pizza off their Italian menu. While we were eating we noticed the first drops of rain we encountered on our trip falling from the sky. There was a break in the showers by the time we were done with our meal and ready to head back out on the lake.
Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda: Our first stop after lunch was at the Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda, the main pagoda on Inle Lake. As expected, the structure was well taken care of and very ornate. Housed within the temple are five Buddha statues that have been so heavily gilded in gold their original shapes are no longer discernible. Every year in September the images are loaded on an elaborate barge and taken around the lake, visiting all the villages on and around the lake, before being returned to the temple. Sometime in the 1960s, high winds capsized the boat carrying the statues, dumping all the images into the lake. Only four of the statues could be recovered and, when returned to Phaungdaw Oo, the fifth statue was mysteriously found sitting in its place. Since then, only four statues ever make the trip around the lake.
Mya Hin Tha Special Fish Silver Smith: Following our stop at the pagoda, we visited two handicraft shops, the first of which was a silver smith. Their signature piece is of a small fish constructed of multiple parts pieced together, allowing the body to mimic the motion of a fish swimming. The pieces of silver they use are very small, so the artisans have to work with the aid of magnifying glasses.
Hnin Thitsar Inle Traditional Umbrella Workshop: The second handicraft shop we visited was a traditional umbrella workshop. The demonstration started with the production of the handmade paper used on the umbrellas. The first step is to prepare the wood fibers that eventually become the paper. The fibers are placed in a water bath, where decorations such as flowers are added. The fibers are then extracted in a single layer sheet with the use of a screen placed at the bottom of the water bath. Once the paper has dried, it is peeled from the screen and ready for use. The second part of the demonstration showed the turning of the umbrella parts, which are then assembled into the final product.
We stopped at the gift shop, where Peep purchased some handmade paper. On one end of the workshop sat a couple of Padaung women weaving on their hand looms. The Padaung are a tribe of the Kayan ethnic group, and are known for the brass rings worn around the necks, wrists, and calves of the women. While the origin of why they wear the rings has been lost to history, one legend states it is to protect their necks from tiger bites. Along with the older women were two young girls.
After our time at the umbrella workshop, we boarded our boat and were approached by women selling souvenirs out of their boats. Our itinerary included a trip to the floating market, but it had to be deleted from our schedule due to flooding caused by the same rains that flooded the streets back in Nyaung Shwe. On the way to our next stop, we again passed some floating gardens, this time getting better views of the rows of tomato plants growing there.
Ngaphechaung Monastery: Our last stop before heading back to the hotel was at Ngaphechaung Monastery. It is also commonly referred to as the Jumping Cat Monastery, due to the jumping cats that live there. Their performance was just ending when we arrived, so we waited for the next show to begin, which was about twenty minutes later. While we were waiting, the rain that had been intermittently falling since lunch, causing us to make use of the umbrellas available to us in our boat, finally stopped. A double rainbow then appeared over the lake. After admiring the rainbow, and then viewing the cats making their leaps through a hoop, we hopped in the boat one last time for the day and headed back to the hotel.
Sunset and Show at Hotel: We arrived at the hotel while there was still plenty of light in the sky. We relaxed in the room before heading out onto the porch to watch the sun disappear behind the mountains on the opposite side of the lake. After the sun went down, we headed to the hotel restaurant for dinner and a show. The show consisted of traditional Myanmar dances, a bird dance, a fire dancer, and the dance of a Myanmar mythological creature.
